Chapter 1
“This absolutely cannot fail!”
A cold voice cut through the darkness. The robed man took a quiet step back. At the magician’s gesture, two crystals rose from the floor. Blue and violet light spiraled toward one another, slowly beginning to merge—
“At last!”
The man’s eyes gleamed.
Then—
A tremor split the air. The two lights collided violently, recoiling from each other.
Fzzt!
A blinding blue flash seared the room and vanished.
CRASH!
The shockwave sent the magician staggering. A thread of red trickled from the corner of his mouth.
“What happened? What went wrong?”
A frigid voice shattered the silence.
Clang!
The crystals struck the stone floor and shattered.
“It has failed.”
The magician crumpled to his knees, head bowed.
“Damn it!”
Bloodlust pulsed from the man in the black cloak.
“You swore you could summon the princess’s soul!”
“The rift in space-time did open. Something simply went wrong along the way—”
“Silence!”
There was no mercy in his low, grinding voice.
“Kill him.”
The candlelight guttered and died. A blade shot from the darkness and drove itself through the magician’s heart in a single thrust.
“Urgh!”
The magician convulsed, then went still. Dark crimson spread across the floor. The cloaked man muttered coldly.
“Clean this up.”
He turned slowly and spoke under his breath.
“Find another way. We must restore the royal family—no matter the cost.”
At that same moment, in Solaris—the domain of Count Saint-Clair—a streak of blue light tore across the sky and plunged to earth. In another time, in another body, a blue light was stirring awake.
“My lady! Are you awake? Lady Adelaïde?”
The gentle voice reached her like sound through deep water. Eun-jae furrowed her brow.
Why is it so noisy…?
She gathered what remained of her thoughts and forced her heavy eyelids open.
The ceiling pattern was unfamiliar. She took in her surroundings carefully. Delicate curtains swayed before a tall window. Antique furniture lined the walls. Turning her head a little further, she found a middle-aged woman watching her with barely concealed worry.
“Mabel, how is my lady?”
Another voice drifted from somewhere in the room.
“My lady has opened her eyes.”
The middle-aged woman edged closer. Eyes glistening, she brushed the hair from Eun-jae’s forehead with a rough, warm hand.
Who is she? Why is she calling me ‘My lady’?
Eun-jae was bewildered, but no sound would come out.
“You—go and fetch the doctor at once. Hurry! My lady is awake.”
From the number of voices, there were other people in the room. At the mention of a doctor, Eun-jae exhaled in quiet relief.
Hm? What’s this?
She felt something hard in her hand.
Ah… Did I collapse while holding this?
It was the crystal she had purchased at auction some time ago.
As a jewelry designer with a collection deadline looming, Eun-jae had been on her way to her studio after a long day. Her memory was clear right up to the moment she was tidying her cluttered workspace and finishing sketches on the CAD screen.
“That’s right—I saw a light. A faint blue glow.”
The moment she reached for the light emanating from the crystal on her desk, everything went dark.
Not long after, hurried footsteps announced the doctor’s arrival.
“She has regained consciousness, but she needs plenty of rest. Butler, please clear the room.”
Eun-jae lay perfectly still and waited. When the door finally closed, she sat up carefully.
“What in the world is going on?!”
She dropped her head and clutched her hair.
Swish.
The hair that cascaded through her fingers was silver.
“Wh—what!”
Knock, knock.
Before she could even process the shock, a knock came at the door. She lay back quickly.
“My lady?”
It was the middle-aged woman from before.
What was her name again…?
“Ah—Ma-bel?”
Eun-jae startled at the realization that she had spoken in a completely foreign language.
Mabel fluffed the pillows behind her back, then set a silver tray on the bedside table.
“Shall I feed you?”
The sight of the steaming soup made her stomach clench with hunger.
“You must be exhausted, my lady. I’ve brought some soup. Let me help you sit up.”
“No—I can manage.”
“You haven’t eaten in two weeks. Please, take it slowly.”
“Two weeks?”
Mabel, midway through handing over the spoon, blinked.
“My lady, is something wrong? You’re speaking rather… formally.”
“Am I? I suppose my head still isn’t clear.”
Eun-jae gave an awkward laugh and quickly adjusted her tone. Mabel studied her a moment longer before offering a gentle smile.
“You’ll be all right in a few days. Two full weeks unconscious—it’s only natural to feel out of sorts.”
Only after watching Adelaïde lift the spoon to her lips did Mabel let out a soft sigh of relief.
“I know how hard you’ve been working, my lady. Day and night, to save our family.”
Mabel’s voice trembled. She dabbed at the corners of her eyes with the hem of her apron.
“As head maid, I’m ashamed that I let things reach this point.”
“Mabel… why exactly did I collapse?”
“You don’t remember?”
A shadow crossed Mabel’s face.
“I’m a little confused. Yes.”
Eun-jae managed a smile, though it came out stiff.
“You were studying a crystal that day as well, my lady. You mentioned acquiring a peculiar one. You were in the study for quite some time, and when I came to call you for dinner, you had already collapsed.”
Mabel’s expression dimmed.
“But my lady, there is good news. The Karsiten ducal estate has sent a proposal.”
“A contract—”
“Yes! So you must recover your strength before the ceremony.”
She didn’t swallow her soup cleanly and broke into a fit of coughing.
“Oh my—are you all right, my lady?”
Mabel hurried to pat her on the back.
“The contract—it’s an engagement?”
“No.”
“What a relief—”
“It’s a marriage.”
“…What?”
Adelaïde paced slowly around the room, turning Mabel’s words over in her mind.
“So. This is Solaris, a count’s domain. I am Adelaïde Saint-Clair. I have been unconscious for two weeks.”
She leaned against the wall and let out a long breath.
“This is like something out of a novel.”
She was grateful they had readily accepted her excuse about a foggy memory. With little time to make sense of things, Adelaïde had to find her footing in this world—the other party to the contract was already on their way.
The next morning, Adelaïde took a slow tour of the residence.
“My lady, this is the study.”
The room opened around a large desk buried under stacks of paper. A crystal on the windowsill caught a slant of sunlight and threw brilliant color across the walls. Her eyes went straight to it.
“It’s extraordinary.”
She turned the crystal in her hand. A familiar coolness pressed against her fingertips. The light’s refraction, the angle of reflection—her trained eyes read it all instinctively.
“With just a little shaping, this could become a gemstone.”
That old feeling stirred—the quiet thrill of a craftsman recognizing fine material. She began opening the drawers one by one, and in one of them found an old jewelry box. Inside lay faded pearls, sapphires, and other gems she couldn’t name, all tangled together.
“That can’t be right—is this a synthetic sapphire?”
She identified it by instinct, without so much as a magnifying glass.
“Is that kind of processing technology even possible in this world?”
Just then the door opened and a young maid slipped in.
“Oh! I’m so sorry, my lady. I didn’t realize you were in here.”
“It’s all right. Come in. Are you here to clean?”
“Yes, my lady.”
While the maid worked, she bent to retrieve something from the floor.
Clatter.
“Ah!”
A small earring rolled to Adelaïde’s feet.
“I’m sorry, my lady. The clasp keeps coming loose.”
“It was your mother’s?”
“Yes, but the hook is too old.”
Adelaïde held out her hand. The design formed in her mind even as she turned the piece over. She set aside the broken hook, twisted a length of string around the connection point, and secured the end tightly. A small pearl pendant finished it. In her hands, an earring had become a necklace.
“The hook is gone, but it won’t come loose now. Would you like to try it on?”
The maid’s eyes went wide. As Adelaïde fastened it at her neck, the pearl caught the light and swayed gently.
“It’s beautiful.”
“The metal was old, but the pearl is still perfect.”
“My lady, thank you. My mother would have been so happy.”
“That smile of yours is lovelier than the necklace.”
The maid ducked her head, cheeks flushed. A warmth Adelaïde hadn’t expected settled in her chest.
Maybe I can make jewelry here too.
Her heart quickened. The realization that she had something—something she could actually do in this strange world—filled her with a rush that was equal parts excitement and relief.
If that’s the case, I don’t have to depend on anyone else to survive. If I can live as I choose, doing what I love… then I don’t have to be bound by some contract marriage.
A sharp gleam settled in Adelaïde’s eyes.
For now, that debt leaves me no choice. But later…
That night, Adelaïde lay in bed unable to sleep—though not for the usual reasons.
“The contract is tomorrow. I have never once signed a marriage contract. What am I supposed to do?”
She sighed and squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself toward sleep. When it refused to come, she began to count.
“One sheep… two sheep… three sheep… one hundred and ninety-two sheep…”
A short while later, Adelaïde’s breathing grew soft and even.
Her vision dissolved into a haze of sleep.
